Perpetual calendar



Sept. 19, 1950 J. B. A. FLUETTE PERPETUAL CALENDAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 19, 1947 MI r4 v vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv H v l4 V///////./

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Joseph B. A. F/ueffe B) gal WW Sept. 19, 1950 .1. B. A. FLUETTE 2,523,206

PERPETUAL CALENDAR Filed March 19, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 KEY NUMBERS 1. Find The Key Number (in red) 111' lbs lnfersecfion of flu horizonl'al Ccnlury line and lhe verrical Year column.

2. Move l'he sliding Calendar Board below unfll lhe Key Number is direcfly benea'lh fhe desired monrh. When lwo Key Numbers have been found in 'lha some square use lhe firsl number for Jan. and Feb. and fhe second numberforall olher monl'hs.

3. Sef i-he sliding bar solhal' fhe nofch shows lhe number of days in lhe desired monrh 4. 5e? monlh and year indicalors afler removing fhis plcrle by sliding if up.

Fig.9.

3| ru -mama. MAY. JUL, AUG, ocr. use. 3009 APR,JUN SEP Inventor Joseph B. A. F luehe 406' and yaw E Patented Sept. 19, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PERPETUAL CALENDAR Joseph B. A. Fluette, Woonsocket, I. Application March 19, 1917, Serial No. 735,613

' '6 Claims. (01. 40-109) This invention relates to a perpetual calendar current or future, within the system as presently adopted and within other systems based on a seven day week and a decimal counting system.

The correlation of the day of the week with the monthly date in any year isnot only currently wanted to establish certain data in family matters or for astrological purposes and the like, but is also repeatedly of importance for historians, archaeologists and astronomers and in this case remote dates have to be considered which have been established with a calendar system differing from the so-called Gregorian calendar system, now in general use. This system dates from October 1582 and was introduced into some countries at this date. Other countries however maintained the Julian system, which dates back to 46 B. C. beyond the above named date or use it still. The present invention takes care of the difference and provides correlated dates in any calendarsystem which may have been selected.

According to the invention the calendar comprises a front side with windows showing the year and month and the week days grouped in line with the monthly dates as customary. The monthly date table is however placed on a sliding board and is shiftable so that every one of its columns or lines may be adjusted showing any alignment of weekday and monthly date.

Shifting of the sliding board is performed to bring the monthly date and the week day in alignment in any given year. In order to be able to do so for any past or future year the calendar board is provided with series of key numbers, and the calendar frame is provided with a key number table, the latter not only containing a key number for every year in every century according to the definite calendar system, but also a table of months. number for the year in question is then read on the key number. table, is selected on the sliding calendar board among the numbers forming the key number series and is placed in alignment with the month of the desired date in the fixed month table. Moreover a second slide is provided to cooperate with an indication as regards the number of days within the month which as well known varies between 28 and 31. This sec- The correct key and slide is adjusted so that a notch mark or other sign coincides with the number provided on the sliding calendar board and indicating the number of days the desired month had or will have. This second slide'covers up the unwanted days of the month and merely uncovers the dates which are in conformity with the number of days assigned to the month the dates of which are displayed.

It will be readily understood that with this calendar a correlation between the week day and the monthly date may be established in any year of any chronological system based on a seven day weekand on a counting of years and centuries in the decimal system. A

The invention will be more readily understood when explained in connection with the accompanying drawings showing I one embodiment thereof. Attention is however drawn on the fact that the embodiment illustrated is a mere example selected in order to be able to explain the principle on which the invention is based in a more. definite manner. Other embodiments and modifications may serve to embody the aforesaid principle, as will be clear to persons skilled in this art and-modifications do therefore not necessarily involve a departure from the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the front side of a calendar; I

Figures 2 and 3 are elevational front and back views respectively of the sliding calendar board.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a further slide piece cooperating with the sliding calendar board.

Figures 5 and 6 are elevational front and back views respectively of the rotatable month disk.

Figures 7 and 8 are elevational front and back views respectively of the series of rotatable year disks.

Figure 9 is an elevational view of the key number table fixed on a fixed part of the calendar.

Figure 10 is an elevational View of the fixed month table provided with slots for displaying the back face of the sliding calendar board for the adjustment of the second slide shown in Figure 4. Y

Figure 11' is a perspective View of the back of the perpetual calendar.

Figures 12 and 13 are perspective views of the disk retaining springs.

Figures 14 and 15. are elevational sectional views of the calendar, the sections being taken along lines M-M and lines l5l5 of Figure 1.

As has been explained the perpetual calendar according to the invention has the main object 3 to'provide so-called calendar indications, correlating the position of the day within the week and within the month in any given year whether it be the'current year or a year of the past or g the future, in any calendar system based on a count of years in the decimal system and on a seven day week. This object isaccomplished by building the calendar in such a way that its front side displays just the customary indications, while its back side contains the necessary fixed and adjustment means.

As seen in Figure l the front side comprises merely the fixed board 20 made of any suitable material such as wood, metal, glass,fplastics and the like held in an upright position on supports or feet 2!. The board may or may not be pro-' on ledges Bl at the rear of window 26 and between the two members and 50 the two slidable members 30 and 6!] are held and are riding on the ledges 61, Said board 50 i provided with a slot 5|, consisting of 'two sections '52 and :53, in the example shownfp'rovided for a purpose to be described. As a matter of course the key number "table may be printed on a sheet fixed on some part "on the back of the calendar. Preferably the printed sheet covers board 50. The function of "holdin'g'the slide member and providing slots for vided with a backwardly protruding flan e or ledge 23 along its contour or along part of contour. This board is provided on its front-side,-

which may be perfectlyssmooth and finished in any desired, way, with threewindows or openings 24, :-and.26. The opening 24 serves to'display the month andthe opening 25 displays the year in the customary manner. 1 The large window 26 displays the Ifront indications ofthe sliding .ca1-. endar board 30 to'be described below. --In the example shown in which said calendar board is moved horizontally, those fixed indications 28 which correlate the monthly dates with the :week days are placed along its upper horizontal edge, each of the said indications heading a vertical column in the present example.

The means for indicating :the month of the year and the year are shown in Figures 5 8. The months are marked forinsta'nce o'nia rotatable disk '3'! shown as a polygonal (dodecagonal), disk, preferablyon both sides of said disk. The disk is held in a depression of the board 20 by means of a spring 33 (Figures lland 13) fixed on the board 20 by .pins 36. "The dodecagonal disk 31 consists of paper, wood, metal, plastic, glass or the likeand'is moved by hand around its center by me'ans of an axle which is preferably formed by a pin 38 provided with a head which is held i-n' the bifurcated-end of the spring :33 and'may fit snugly and with iriction into a central hole 31 in the disk '31. The place to be .occupied 'by I the disk to make a desired month appear in the middle of the window 24 is preferably marked on the back of the board 20 containing thedisk3l "The depression into which the dodecagonal disk fits may itself be dodecagonal and, only slightly larger than the disk 3'1 itself. To adjust the disk 3| the button 34 is drawn backwardly against theaction of the spring and the disk is rotated while held outside the depression until the desired month coincides with the marked section (see Figurel'l) When the disk'3l 'is then released its drops into the dodecagonal opening and is immovablyfixed therein by the spring.

The year in window 25 is formed by means of a disk member 40 surrounde'dby annular members 4!, 42, 43. These members are shown as being circular by way of example. Each member has a recessed portion for receiving a portion of the next member (as shown in Figure 15) so that all the four members '40, 4|, 42, 43 hold each other in a centered position. They are pressed into a circular depression of the board 20 by means of the spring 45 which is held on thejbo'ard by means of pins "46 and presses against the center of the 1disk40 thus holding the entire set in its place. Thisspring may be provided with a pin 48 snugly fitting :into a central hole '49 of disk '40 and each 'member maybe adiustedby hand. rEachmem- "the .movement and display of certain members and for limiting the movement of the slides is not connected with the selection of'key numbers and the board 58 is therefore shown empty in Figure 11 except "for'sthose indi'cations:54 which are necessary for cooperation with indications on the slide .30, Therindications 5.4:.consist oithe twelve months ar'ran-gedsinseven columns in a peculiar manner so as to ;.permit cooperation with'the selected key numbers. "In the example shown in Figure 10 the central column carries the names of the months February, March and November, while the othermonths are distributed over'the other columns. v

The slidablecalendar-board 30 which'movesand is held between-the window :26 of board 20 and the key numberboard 5,0 is provided on its front sidewith a series or columns each containing the monthly dates for/all weekdays in thesuccessive Weeks of a month .in alignment. .As .it is cus-' tomary' to place X the dates of successive weeks in differentlines and as the first week of the month may-.comprise'zany number of days and even a single day, the sliding calendar board shows thirteen colums 55, seven :of which are displayed .below the week day indicator 123 through windowZB which provides the "necessary .room for the display of these seven columns. I i

The back or the .said sliding calendar board carriesmerely a single .row of key numbers 56 arranged horizontally-.in-the present example in which the monthly dates for avweekday are arrangedin vertical columns. It also carries the handle 58 whichaprotrudes through the slot '53 in theboardfill. I

The key numbers form two series arranged in one row and-the same numbers are therefore repeated. Therefore, .key numbers of each serieswould be .freelyalignable with the months of the month table, if the movement of the slidable board were not limited. The movement of the slidable calendar board 3!) in the room between the boards is therefore so limited that a given key number maybe aligned with one month only in a single position of the board 30. 'For'instance the month of May in Figure 10 may be brought into coincidence only with key number 5 and higher numbers of the first series, the length of the slot or preferably the limitation of the space between board 5% and "21] together with the length of board 30 preventing the alignment of key numbers below 6, so that keyin'u'mbers below a certain key number inone series and above the key number'in theother series cannot be aligned with the month columns. The same limitations also prevent the alignment of key numbers of the second series ab'ove five'. This holds good for 5311 .months and 'all key numbers.

Below the-row 56 of key numbers -a f-urther calculated according to this calendar;

width that just one of the numbers of row 51 will appear in it. This slide 60 moreover is provided with a backwardly projecting ledge 64 which projects through a cut portion 65 of the sliding calendar board provided at the lower end thereof. At its front end the slide 6-0 carries a stepped plate 66 which slides along the front portion of the sliding calendar. board 30 and covers up that portion of the monthly dates which is not valid for the month in question.

It will be seen that the slidable calendar board 30 merely rides on its side wings 68 on the ledges endar is moreover still used in eastern Europe and among religious sects in western Asia. Traveling facilities in these countries are running according to schedules made'up in accordance with this calendar. As merely the lines indicated bythe centuries and the column indicated by the'years of the centuries matter for the selection'of the key numbers itwill be clear that the calendar system selected may be arranged to go back, into the past or to be continued beyond a given date for any number of years. It will also be clear that any other calendar system based on a seven 7 day week and on a decimal system when count- 61. One of said side wings'carries the projecting ledge or knob 58 serving as a handle permittingto shift the sliding calendar board.

The protruding portion 6| of the slide 60 projects outwardly and rearwardly through the slot portion 53 of slot 5| leaving however the upper slot portion 52 free. In this portion therefore, as clearly seen in Figure 11, the key numbers of the row 56 appear. The numbers of the row 5'! (corresponding to the number of days in a month) appear in the upper part of the lower portion 53 of the slot 5| one of them being uncovered by the slot 6 2 of handle 6| while the other numbers are covered by said handle. Simultaneously the numbers corresponding to non-existing monthly dates for the month for which the sliding board is set are covered up by the plate 66 on the front side.

The rearwardly projecting handle 58 for moving the sliding calendar board slides within the lower portion 53 of the slot 5! of board 50 which may be provided with an extension 53a in order to be able to move the board to the extreme right as shown in Figure 11.

The key numbers are arranged in a table shown in Figure 9 which, as already stated, is preferably mounted on the board if there is room enough for this purpose. These key numbers are numbers from 1-7 and indicate the correct position of the sliding calendar board with respect to the 1 selected month in each year. The years within a century are arranged along one side of the.

key number table in such a way that those years in which all conditions are equal are referring to the same column of key numbers. On the other side of the table the centuries are arranged in as many tables as necessary. As an example the Julian and the Gregorian calendars are placed in columns side by side. The Julian calendar in this case comprises a series of columns on the left and the Gregorian calendar comprises a number of columns to the right. The Julian calendar does not go in this case beyond October 4, 1582 (the day in which it Was supplanted by the Gregorian calendar in the countries then within the jurisdiction'of the Catholic Church) but it is evident that, if it is desired to supply data according to the Julian calendar for a later date merely the later centuries have to be entered into the columns shown or if necessary into further columns to be added. The Julian calendar, for instance, was used in the American colonies up to the middle of the 18th century and therefore genealogical data up to this period, have to be This caling the years may be added by adding further century columns corresponding to the era in ques tion on the right side of Figure 9. v

The printed inscription on Figure 9 gives all the requisite data for using the perpetual calendar for any future or past date. Where double key numbers'are provided the first number applies to the months. of January and February and the second to all the other months of the year in question.

The key number is found on the intersection of the horizontal row containing the selected century with the vertical column containing the year within the century. The sliding calendar board is then moved until the key number, as found, is placed directly below the month of the desired date and the slide 60 is'moved until the notch 62 uncovers the number of days in the said month. The front side then shows the days for the desired month in relation to the week days. The month and year indicators may be set by hand to the desired date if the perpetual calendar is to be used on the desired date.

It will be obvious that the change of the con-v structional. details does not involve any major change of the calendaritself.

I claim:

1. A perpetual calendar comprising a fixed board provided with windows, one of said windows being adapted to display a changeable monthly date indicator, fixed indicia correlating the monthly dates with week days being arranged along one side of the said window, a second fixed board connected with the first named fixed board arranged at a distance therefrom, said second board being provided with a slot and with a month indicator, the indicia for said month ine dicator being arranged along said slot, a sliding date board between said first and said second fixed board, carrying on its front side the monthly date indicator displayed through one of the windows and provided with a series of aligned partly identical key numbers on its rear side, placed on said board so as to be displayable through the slot of the second fixed board in correlation with the month indicator of said board, means for limiting the displacement of said sliding date board to a distance inferior to the length of the series of aligned key numbers, and a further slide provided with a cover plate on the front side covering the. monthly dates for the last days of the month on'the monthly date indicator, said further slide being slidable within the slot of the second fixed board.

2. A perpetual calendar comprising a fixed board provided with windows,v a hand operated operated month indicator displaying a month indication through a second window of saidboard, fixed week day indicia for a monthly date and week day indicator placed along one of the sides of a 'thirdrwindow, a second fixed'board connected with the first named fixed board-and arranged at a distance from the same behind the said third window, said second fixed board carrying on its rear side a month indicator and being prov-idedwith a slot having a wider central .sec-

' tion and narrower lateral sections, a sliding third window of the first named fixed board,

said calendar board further carrying on its rear side a series of aligned key numbers and a series of aligned indicia relative to the number of days I in :a month, the two series being displayed one below the other in the wider central portion of the slot Of the second fixed board, and a further slide adapted to slide along the two fixed boards and provided with a handle projecting towards the rear and with a covering plate in front of the sliding calendar board for covering Y the monthly dates of the last days of the month on said calendar board, said Slide handle covering the aligned indicia relative to the number of days in the month and being provided with a cut portion, uncovering one of said indicia, thus indicating in the rear the position of the covering plate on the front side .of the sliding calendar board. X

3. A perpetual calendar comprising a fixed front board provided with windows, depressions in said board at the back of the board, a hand operated year indicator inserted into one of said depressions and consisting of a disk and of concentric flanged rings pressing axially against each other and carrying indicia displayed through one of said windows of the .front board, a spring fixed on said fixed board and pressed against the center of the disk for holding said disk and rings, a hand operated month indicator, consisting of a polygonal disk carrying month indications "displayed through a second window in the fixed front board and lodged in a second depression of said board, a spring attached to the fixed board pressing on the center of the disk, a but toned pin fixed on said disk for operating the same by hand, a second fixed board fixedly held "at a distance from the first named fixed board, said board being provided with a'slot, a key'num ber indicator for assigning key numbers toeach month, said key number indicator including fixed month indicia aligned along theslot in the second fixed board, a sliding board between said first named .and said'second named fixed boards,

provided on its front side with monthly date indicia of a monthly date and week 'day'indicator aligned in columns for correlation with the week day indications, a section of said monthly date indicator being displayed through one of the windows of the first named fixed board, said sliding board being further provided on its rear side with two partly identical key number series aligned for cooperation with the fixedlindicia of the key number indicator, and a second slide movable along the two aforementioned fixed boards, with a frontmember forming a cover plate adapted to cover the monthly date indicia "for the last days of a month on the displayed section of the monthly date and week' day indicator, and with a rear member forming a handle 7 with a cut portion said handle slidinginf-ront of further indicia arranged on the rear-of'the sliding board and covering said indicia, but uncovering-one of saidindicia through-the cut portion, said uncovered indicia indicating the position of-the covering plate with respect to the monthly date on the front side of the sliding board.

'4; A perpetual calendar comprising a fixed board on itsfront side provided with windows, a handoperated year indicator displaying a year indication through one of said windows, a hand operated 'month indicator displaying a month indication through a second window, a monthly date indicator having its fixed indicia for correlating the monthly dates to the week days'arranged along one of the sides of a third window,

a further fixed board fixedly held at a distance from the first named fixed board, said last named fixed board being provided with a slot having a larger centralportion and narrower laterally extending portions, said board carrying on its rear side indicia for the months of the year, supporting members between said fixed boards, two

slides, one sliding upon the other, movablealong said 'fixed boards, both slides being supported on said supporting members and each being provided with a handle projecting rearwardly through said slot of the second fixed board, the first slide including a calendar board sliding upon the second slide, the said calendar board having a front side adapted tobe displayed through the third window, said front side being provided with thirteen columns of aligned monthly date indications, seven of which are displayed through' the said window in alignment.

with the week day indicia arranged along the side of the window, a key number indicator for assigning key numbers to every month of the year consisting of two partly identical series of key numbers arranged on the rear side of the sliding calendar board and cooperating with the indicia forthe months on the rear side of the second fixed board, means for limiting the movement of the sliding board on both sides in order to limit the alignment of the key numbers of the series of key numbers with a given month indicia on the second named fixed board, the said second slide being provided with a front member forminga cover plate adapted to cover the monthly date indicia for: the last dates or the month and with a rear member forming a handle with a cut portion sliding in front of further indicia arranged in substantial parallelism to the aligned key number series on the rear of the sliding board and uncovering one of said indicia by means of its out portion which indicates the position of the covering plate with respect to monthly dates on the front side of the sliding board.

5. A perpetual calendar comprising afixed board provided with windows, a hand operated year indicator mechanism displaying a year indication through .one of said windows, a hand operated month indicator displaying a month in-.

dication'through another window, a week day indicator along one of the sides of a further window,- a second fixed board connected with the first named fixed .board arranged at some distance therefrom behind the last named window, said second board carrying aligned month indications on its rear side and being provided with a slot like window,.said'slot like window comprising a wider central portion andnarrower laterally extending portions, supporting members between said .fixed boards, two slides, sliding one :upon the other, movable along said fixed looards,supported on'sai'd supporting members and each provided with a handle projecting through said slot like window, the first slideiconsisting of a sliding calendar board, sliding upon the second slide, the said sliding calendar board having a front side adapted to be displayed through the window and carrying a week day indicator provided with columns of monthly dates aligned to correspond to week days'and a key number indicator to be aligned with the month indications on the second fixed board and an indicator relative to the number of days in each month arranged in a, line beneath and parallel to the aligned key numbers on the back side, the second slide carrying a handle with a notch on the back side projecting through the slot' like window, but covering merely that part of the slot like window in which the above named I second line relative to the number ofdays in a month is displayed, while leaving the aligned key numbers exposed, said second slide being further provided with a stepped plate on the front side, sliding upon and cooperating with the columns of monthly dates aligned below week days, and adapted to cover the monthly dates of the last days in each month, the notch in the handle uncovering on the back side the number of days in a month, left uncovered by the plate in front.

6. A perpetual calendar comprising a fixed board on its front side provided with windows, a hand operated year indicator mechanism, displaying a year indication through one of said windows, a hand operated month indicator displaying a month indication through another window, a week day indicator along one of the sides of a further window, a second fixed board connected with the first named fixed board arranged at some distance therefrom behind the last named window, said second board carrying aligned month indications on its rear side and being provided with a slot like window,'said slot like window comprising a wider central portion and narrower laterally extending portions, supporting members between said fixed boards, two slides sliding one upon the other, movable along said fixed boards, supportedon said supporting members and each provided with a handle projecting through a section of said slot like window, the first slide consisting of a sliding calendar board, sliding upon the second slide, the said slid- 10 ing calendar board having a front side adapted to be displayed through the window and carrying the monthly dates of a monthly date and week day indicator provided with columns of monthly dates aligned to correspond to week days, a key number indicator with indicia arranged in a line adapted to be aligned with the aligned month indications on the said second fixed board, and

an indicator for indicating the number of days in the month arranged in a line beneath and parallel to the aligned indicia of the key number indicator, arranged on the rear side of the sliding calendar board, the second slide carrying a handle projecting rearwardly and provided with a cut portion, and a stepped plate projecting forwardly from said slide arranged in substantial parallelism with the slidable calendar board, sliding upon the front side thereof and adapted to cover the monthly dates of the last days of a month, the handle covering the indicator for the number of days in a month and the cut portion in the handle uncovering the number of days in a month which are left uncovered by the plate in front of the sliding calendar board.

JOSEPH B. A. FLUETTE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

